The Bible's Role in Sacrifice or Self-Enrichment

I thought for a moment the other day - a flash moment - of those now famous words of the RAF pilot-martyr (enshrined in his final diary entry)... "the universe is so vast and ageless that a man's worth can only be justified by the measure of his sacrifice". I memorized them then, somehow feeling deep inside that he was more accurately reflecting the gospel than thousands of prosperity-addicted preachers. We are truly the first generation of the church to be shocked by suffering. Surprised, not by hope, but by hardship. not that we have too much of either really, compared to burning saints on Nero's lampposts.

The poor are blessed with rich faith, but the rich point their faith towards the blessings. Suffering produces sweetness, but saccharine alternatives now abound, all proffering saltless options for suffering-free lifestyles.

Trading Life for a safer lifestyle truly is as a foolish as tearing down our barns to build bigger ones.

Helen Keller, that deaf and blind author and activist, once said, "Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing”.

My final thought is the huge need for the pure gospel of Christ, rooted in the final hope of the resurrection, to be preached nakedly as never before. Without revelation, we are left with lesser inspirations. Here is a four quadrant grid of possibility. Where do you fit?

• Compulsive Enrichment. We are all born this way - with the desire to know, to have power, to be safe and prosper at any cost. Let's call this "The Banker's Syndrome"
• Inspired Enrichment. The Bible has been abused and flogged and squeezed to bring forth promises of health, happiness and high ground for the lowly. Suffering is now banished "via scriptura". Let's call this "The False Gospel of the Middle Class"
• Compulsive Sacrifice. We see the significance that suffering and martyrdom releases, and with it we see the chance of fame and remembrance. We are driven to a poverty-minded celebration of self-denial. Let's call this "The Hair-Shirt Gospel"
• Inspired Sacrifice. Could it be that the gospel could reveal a higher hope and glory than all our earthly goals combined? Could we again see preachers so inspired by this message that they themselves align their lives and futures around it, thus making their messages totally compelling...? Dare we call this..."The Fertile Gospel"?

love

Nick